Those who know me know that I love professional football. I'm a nominal basketball and baseball fan. However, this year I am all over the Rays and their quest for the World Series Championship.
One of my favorite things about football is how it is tied to relationships. Among other things, my parents and I enjoy talking about how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing both off-season and on. I have friends and acquaintances all over the country who are fans of different teams. Often these loyalties cause us to communicate. For example, if my team is playing the Washington Redskins, I will talk to my friend from Bethel Seminary, Dave Runion. If my team is playing the Dallas Cowboys (which they are this weekend), I will be on the phone with the Junior High Pastor, Travis Armstrong. I have lots of friends who are Chicago Bears fans (Matt Sharp, Dave Nordyke, Kevin DeVries) and others who follow the Packers (Stephanie Armstrong, Dawn Fong, JP Turner). I could go on and on nearly every team is covered in this, being in Minnesota I have lots of friends who rise and fall with the Vikings (shout out to Ken Reily, my in-laws). These ties allow me to think about my friends when their team is doing well, not so well, when our teams are playing each other, or when they make a gutsy off-season trade.
So, maybe this is my defense for being a football fan, but there are lots of relationships that I am able to continue not because of Facebook, not because of proximity but thanks to the NFL.
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